Maritime Advocacy Group faults EFCC Chairman on conviction of ex-NIMASA DG

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Temisan Omatseye

The Maritime
Advocacy Group has faulted the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC) Ibrahim Magu, on his statement with respect to the recent
conviction of Mr Temisan Omatseye, a
former Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA.

The former NIMASA
boss was convicted by the Federal High Court in Lagos for five years prison
sentence over a N1.5billion contract scam.

Madu
had counted the conviction as one of the 14O convictions the Commission had
recorded as an achievement in the past six months.

In
a statement, the President of Maritime Advocacy Group, Ifeanyi Okolie, and
Secretary, Kayode Animashun, said the EFCC chairman failed to state what
transpired at the Federal High Court.

Notably,
the group said that the former NIMASA boss was not in any way found guilty of
any fraud or any other criminal offence.

Describing
the judgment as one likened to persecution, the group also pointed out that no
money belonging to NIMASA was found in Omatseye’s bank account.

Omatseye
was found guilty of approving contracts above his threshold, which he has
already appealed against.

According
to the statement, “we expected the chairman of the Nation’s anti-graft Agency
to have called for the Judgment file or sort the opinion of his legal team on
the judgment before coming out to misinform Nigerians, the media and the
general public on a case ‘that is more of a persecution than prosecution.”

“It
is pertinent to note that NOWHERE IN THE JUDGEMENT IS TEMISAN OMATSEYE FOUND
GUILTY OF ANY FRAUD. NOT TO TALK OF MISAPPROPRIATION OF FUNDS. NO WHERE AGAIN
WAS IT MENTIONED THAT HE WAS GUILTY OF ANY CRIMINAL OFFENCE.

“As
a matter of fact, MAG WHICH HAD FOLLOWED PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRIAL NOTES THAT
THE EFCC’s IPO IN HIS STATEMENT AND EVIDENCE STATED THAT NO FUND BELONGING TO
NIMASA WAS TRACED TO THE EMBATTLED FORMER DG’s BANK ACCOUNTS.

“For
Record purposes, Justice Rita Ofilli-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court,
Ikoyi Lagos, found him guilty of APPROVING CONTRACTS ABOVE HIS THRESHOLD. A
MATTER ALREADY SUBJECT TO APPEAL.

“MAG
further notes that Temisan Omatseye had always stated in his statements and in
court proceedings that THE SAID THRESHOLD WAS NEVER OFFICIALLY TRANSMITTED TO
HIM AS AT THE TIME THE SAID CONTRACTS WERE AWARDED.

“IT
IS ALSO PERTINENT TO NOTE THAT AT NO TIME WAS THERE ANY N1.5BILLION FRAUD. THIS
FIGURE, TO MAG, IS A FIGMENT OF THE IMAGINATION OF HIS PERSECUTORS.

“AS A MATTER OF
FACT THE EMBATTLED FORMER DG OF NIGERIA’S MARITIME REGULATORY BODY AS AT THE
TIME HE WAS SUSPENDED FROM OFFICE LEFT MORE THAN N52billion IN NIMASA’s ACCOUNT.

“ AN AMOUNT HE
GREWED FROM N20billion HIS PREDECESSOR LEFT IN THE AGENCY’s COFFERS.

“According to the
evidences in the COURT AND FROM THE 27 COUNT CHARGE AGAINST HIM, THE AMOUNT
WHEN COMPUTED COMES TO ABOUT N90million AND NOT THE N1.5bn THE PUBLIC IS MADE
TO BELIEVE.

“Therefore,
MAG, after having thoroughly followed the case to this point calls on Ibrahim
Magu, hardworking chairman of the EFCC and indeed the general public to always
get their facts right before issuing statements.

MAG which believes in objective and factual reportage will continue to preach a
zero tolerance to corruption in the Maritime industry.”